Bringing Queen Esther into a fantasy
realm, and entwining her story with another heroine, was a challenge
I thoroughly enjoyed. While I was writing Prophet, Judge, and King,
one of my editors wrote to me about the importance of bringing the
mood and intent of the scriptures to life, while making the fantasy
realm and its stories unique. While writing Queen, inspired by the
Book of Esther and several other amazing heroes and heroines from the
Scriptures, I kept the editor’s kindly admonishment in mind.
How did I subtly bring Esther’s story
into Serena’s world?
I studied my fantasy realm and chose
the Eosyth lands as the setting. Serena is actually based on two
women from the O.T. One woman is Esther, so both storylines are
entwined, however the second O.T. heroine is slightly more subdued
until the end of Queen. Notice that I'm not mentioning the second
O.T. woman's name due to spoilers! However, all the hints are there
for both characters from the first time we meet Serena. Indeed, the
parallels actually begin in Exiles, however—while reading the books
in order is always good—you don’t necessarily need to read Exiles
to enjoy Queen.
I chose Nikaros as Serena's relative,
who protects and rescues the volatile and spoiled king throughout
both books, while rising to power within the kingdom. Nik’s kinship
with Serena ultimately strengthens his position and brings him more
fully into favor with the spoiled king, Bel-Tygeon.
In both books, Vashti's disgrace is
reflected in Zaria's rebellion and scheming, and the Lady Dasarai and
Ebatenai are the final judges (representing the harem) for Serena.
When Serena meets Bel-Tygeon in his own kingdom, I've drawn some
oblique Esther-esque comparisons in her thoughts and resolutions as
she prepares to meet the king.
Also, Serena is
chosen throughout her story, repeatedly, based on her looks and
potential as she is brought to power against her will, and I made a
deliberate decision to show the Infinite working quietly in the
background, as the Lord did during the story of Esther, to save His
people—in this case, the Eosyths who love and revere Him despite
the threats from their enemies). For the spoiled and lovelorn king, I
had such FUN bringing Ty (Bel-Tygeon) into an ordinary family,
allowing him to experience a normal life. Ty’s longing to have a
family and children of his own really came to the surface in Queen,
when it was only hinted at in Exiles. I hope you enjoy reading
Serena’s story as much as I enjoyed writing Queen!
About the Author: R. J. Larson is the author of the Books of the Infinite series, and Realms of the Infinite series. R. J. also writes fiction as Kacy Barnett-Gramckow. She and her husband, Jerry, live in Colorado.
Giveaway: Larson is giving away one copy of Queen to a lucky winner. This giveaway is international, however, a winner from outside the US is eligible for an ecopy, rather than a print book.
Main Giveaway:
This book sounds very interesting! I really like fantasy books based on Bible stories and people. Thanks for the giveaway. rttl@mosquitonet.com
ReplyDeleteI've loved your other books!! I can't wait to read this one!
ReplyDeleteAnna, hooray! Thank you! Hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I loved writing it! <3 I'd write it all over again just for the joy of the whole process!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thank you! I'm eager to see who wins the drawing!
ReplyDeleteI loved the insight on Queen! Fantastic read!
ReplyDeleteDom, thank you! Naturally, I want to edit the post now for typos. How did that get in there? All I can do now is write. (Valor, chapter 3.)
DeleteI have a place in my heart for Esther. I love this story, I can't wait to experience it!
ReplyDeleteOliviaKatie, Esther has been one of my faves since I was a child first learning to read, so it was fun to write a *subtle* tribute to Esther in my fantasy realm. Blessings!
DeleteThis sounds splendid. I'm so excited about reading it!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I SO enjoyed writing this story and mingling it with other OT faves to create another book in the "Infinite" realm. Thanks for stopping by!
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